


I Know You

by radiantdean



Category: SPN, Supernatural
Genre: M/M, human!Cas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-25
Updated: 2016-05-25
Packaged: 2018-06-10 17:36:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6966643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radiantdean/pseuds/radiantdean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean calls Cas on a late night drive</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Know You

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you're interested, my tumblr is radiantdean :)

It was a little after 1AM when Sam fell asleep, soft snores escaping slightly parted lips as his head lolled with the bumping of the car. Dean glanced over at his younger brother, happy that he was finally getting some sleep instead of trying to read by the periodic streetlights that washed over his face. 

Dean looked back to the road after another moment, his right wrist curled over the top of the steering wheel, his hand falling limp in front of the speedometer. 

Led Zeppelin sounded from the old speakers, the familiar melody encouraging Dean to hum softly with the chorus. The road was straight ahead of him, stretching endlessly into an unforeseen point, bordered on either side by dark and impenetrable forest. The elder Winchester found himself looking at Sam again after a moment, opening his mouth as if to speak before closing it again and mentally reprimanding himself for even thinking about waking his brother. 

He fished his cell phone out of his jacket pocket, the car swerving slightly with his jerky and awkward movement. It was easy for him to punch in the number; he didn't even have to look at the screen. He put the phone to his ear just as the second ring picked up. 

"This is Steve," said a soft, tired voice after just a third ring. 

"Cas?" Dean said, furrowing his brow slightly and resting his left elbow on the edge of the window, propping his phone against his ear. 

"Dean," Cas said matter-of-factly. It wasn't a question. 

"What's with the name Steve?" Dean said, turning down the radio slightly and settling into his seat. 

"I thought it sounded normal," Cas said, the hint of a smile evident in his voice. "I saw it on television, I think."

Dean chuckled softly, the wrinkles in his brow smoothing as his face broke into a smile, his lips pulling back over white teeth. 

"Right," he said, clenching his teeth a moment later when he realized how loud he'd been talking. If he wasn't careful, he'd wake up Sam. 

"So why are you calling?" Cas said after they'd shared a moment of silence, the quiet sound of his footsteps echoing through the phone and reaching Dean's ears. 

"We're driving to Oregon," Dean said quietly, his voice rumbling low and gruff in his throat, almost as if the words were physically rolling over his vocal chords before they passed his lips. "Sammy thinks he's found a case. Maybe a spirit."

"You should get some rest," Cas said. "You sound exhausted. It's too late for you to be on the road."

Dean rolled his lips together, trying to repress the smile he felt tugging at his lips at Cas's concerns. 

"I've driven longer, Cas," he said. "I'm alright. I'll make sure to grab some coffee, though, if that'll make you feel better."

Cas was silent for a moment, and Dean could almost picture the ex-angel nodding to himself, satisfied with Dean's answer and simultaneously forgetting that the hunter couldn't see him. 

"I'd prefer you sleep," Cas said finally. "But coffee is a suitable substitute."

Dean chuckled, his field of vision narrowing as his eyes crinkled, his body shaking with soft and gentle laughs. "Alright," he said when he caught his breath. "Next town we hit, I'll pick some up."

"Or make Sam drive," Cas ventured after a moment. 

Dean shook his head, his temple brushing against the cool window with the movement. "No, I can't do that," he said softly. "Sammy needs to sleep. He's exhausted."

"I should've known," Cas said, the smile evident in his voice. It was more than an amused smile, it was a wide and adoring one, one that made his nose wrinkle and his eyes twinkle. 

"Should've known what?" Dean asked. 

"That you wouldn't wake Sam if he were sleeping," Cas said. 

"And how do you know that?" Dean said, his thumb brushing over the soft leather of his steering wheel. 

"Because I know you," Cas said. It was nonchalant, a soft but affirmative statement of closeness and comfortability. 

"Oh, you know me?" Dean said, adding a soft teasing edge to his voice to hide his surprise. He was glad Cas wasn't there to see the blotches of blood rising to the surface of his cheeks. 

"I know that you're driving with your right hand," Cas said. Dean shifted uncomfortably, his hand tightening for a moment around the top of the steering wheel. 

"I know that you're playing your Led Zeppelin tape," Cas continued. "Because it's the only one that really keeps you awake."

"Cas-"

"I know that you're calling me because you had something you wanted to say to Sam, but you didn't want to wake him, so you're exerting that excess energy with me."

Dean pressed his lips together, rolling them into a small purse as he stared at the white lines rushing past on the road beside the car. "How do you know?" He asked quietly, parts of the words lost as his voice rumbled and fluctuated. 

"Because I know you," Cas said again. 

Dean opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it again, swallowing instead and gripping the phone a bit more tightly. 

"Look, Dean," Cas said when the hunter opted not to speak. "Whatever you want to tell him, he will listen. And he'll understand."

"You don't know that," Dean said quickly, his voice hard as he felt the muscles in his jaw clench. 

"I do," Cas said. "Because I know Sam, too. Just tell him, Dean."

"Cas."

"Dean."

"Don't be like that."

"Like what?"

"A know-it-all."

Cas laughed, the happy sound crackling through the speaker. Dean's face broke into a grin, a sense of pride swelling in his chest. 

"At least give it a shot," Cas said when he'd laughed himself out. 

"Fine," Dean said. "We'll see. Thanks, Cas."

"You're welcome," Cas said. 

They didn't speak again, merely enjoying the soft sound of each other's breaths. After while, Dean noticed that Cas's breaths had evened out, rising and falling rhythmically as the air he expelled blew against the speakers of his phone. Dean smiled slightly, knowing that Cas had almost definitely fallen asleep. He still didn't hang up.


End file.
